Campuses:
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Twin Cities Campus
Earth Sciences MinorDepartment of Earth Sciences
College of Science and Engineering
Link to a list of faculty for this program.
Contact Information
Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Minnesota, John T. Tate Hall-Suite 150, 116 Church St. SE, Minneapolis, MN 55455 (612-624-1333; fax: 612-625-3819)
Email:
esci@umn.edu
The modern earth sciences are a remarkable synthesis of the physical and biological sciences. They are at the forefront of inquiry into and solutions of most of the major issues involving the global environment: climate, oceans, freshwater in all its forms, natural resources, and natural disasters. Like no other field, they integrate all the systems, from surface to great depth, from physics to chemistry to biology, and over all of geologic time and all geographic scales. The program includes the fields of structural geology, tectonics, petrology, hydrogeology, geomorphology, sedimentology, surface processes, geochemistry, geobiochemistry, geobiology, paleontology and paleobiology, chemical oceanography, mineralogy, mineral and rock magnetism, rock and mineral physics, geodynamics, seismology, geostatistics, planetary geology, and geophysics and applied geophysics.
Program Delivery
Prerequisites for Admission
Special Application Requirements:
Students interested in the minor are strongly encouraged to confer with their major field advisor and director of graduate studies, and the Earth Sciences director of graduate studies regarding feasibility and requirements.
For an online application or for more information about graduate education admissions, see the
General Information section of this
website.
Program Requirements
Use of 4xxx courses toward program requirements is permitted under certain conditions with adviser approval.
Courses offered on both the A-F and S/N grading basis must be taken A-F.
The minimum cumulative GPA for the minor is 3.00.
Minor Courses (6 to 12 credits)
Master’s students select 6 credits, and doctoral students select 12 credits from the following in consultation with the Earth Sciences director of graduate studies. Other courses may be chosen with the approval of the Earth Sciences director of graduate studies.
ESCI 4203 - Environmental Geophysics
(3.0 cr)
ESCI 4204 - Geomagnetism and Paleomagnetism
(3.0 cr)
ESCI 4211 {Inactive}
(3.0 cr)
ESCI 4212 - Geodynamics
(3.0 cr)
ESCI 4401 - Aqueous Environmental Geochemistry
(3.0 cr)
ESCI 4402 - Biogeochemical Cycles in the Ocean
(3.0 cr)
ESCI 4501 - Structural Geology
(3.0 cr)
ESCI 4502 - Tectonic Styles
(3.0 cr)
ESCI 4602 - Sedimentology and Stratigraphy
(3.0 cr)
ESCI 4701 - Geomorphology
(4.0 cr)
ESCI 4702 - General Hydrogeology
(4.0 cr)
ESCI 4703 - Glacial Geology
(4.0 cr)
ESCI 4801 - Geomicrobiology
(3.0 cr)
ESCI 4911 - Advanced Field Geology
(4.0 cr)
ESCI 5093 {Inactive}
(1.0-4.0 cr)
ESCI 5102 - Climate Change and Human History
(3.0 cr)
ESCI 5201 - Time-Series Analysis of Geological Phenomena
(3.0 cr)
ESCI 5203 - Mineral and Rock Physics
(3.0 cr)
ESCI 5204 - Geostatistics and Inverse Theory
(3.0 cr)
ESCI 5302 - Isotope Geology
(3.0 cr)
ESCI 5351 {Inactive}
(3.0 cr)
ESCI 5353 - Electron Microprobe Theory and Practice
(3.0 cr)
ESCI 5402 - Science and Politics of Global Warming
(3.0 cr)
ESCI 5403 - Computer Applications in Earth & Environmental Sciences
(3.0 cr)
ESCI 5503 - Advanced Petrology
(3.0 cr)
ESCI 5705 - Limnogeology and Paleoenvironment
(3.0 cr)
ESCI 5805 - Standards and Practices for Professional Geoscienists
(3.0 cr)
ESCI 5971 - Field Hydrogeology
(2.0 cr)
ESCI 5980 - Seminar: Current Topics in Earth Sciences
(1.0-4.0 cr)
ESCI 8203 - Environmental Geophysics
(3.0 cr)
ESCI 8204 - Geomagnetism and Paleomagnetism
(3.0 cr)
ESCI 8243 - Principles of Rock Magnetism
(1.0-3.0 cr)
ESCI 8353 - Phase Equilibrium in Mineral Systems
(3.0 cr)
ESCI 8354 - Igneous Petrology
(3.0 cr)
ESCI 8355 - Metamorphic Petrology
(3.0 cr)
ESCI 8401 - Aqueous Environmental Geochemistry
(3.0 cr)
ESCI 8402 - Biogeochemical Cycles in the Ocean
(3.0 cr)
ESCI 8501 - Structural Geology
(4.0 cr)
ESCI 8502 - Tectonic Styles
(3.0 cr)
ESCI 8511 - Mechanics of Sediment Transport
(3.0 cr)
ESCI 8601 - Introduction to Stream Restoration
(3.0 cr)
ESCI 8602 - Stream Restoration Practice
(2.0 cr)
ESCI 8701 - Geomorphology
(4.0 cr)
ESCI 8712 - Transport Phenomena and Analytical Geohydrology
(3.0-4.0 cr)
ESCI 8718 - Numerical Methods in Hydrogeology
(4.0 cr)
ESCI 8801 {Inactive}
(3.0 cr)
ESCI 8970 - Seminar: Current Topics in Earth Sciences
(1.0-4.0 cr)
Program Sub-plans
Students are required to complete one of the following sub-plans.
Students may not complete the program with more than one sub-plan.
Masters
Doctoral
|
|
Credits: | 3.0 [max 3.0] |
Course Equivalencies: | ESci 4203/ESci 8203 |
Typically offered: | Every Fall |
Credits: | 3.0 [max 3.0] |
Typically offered: | Periodic Fall |
Credits: | 3.0 [max 3.0] |
Course Equivalencies: | ESci 4212/ESci 8212 |
Typically offered: | Spring Odd Year |
Credits: | 3.0 [max 3.0] |
Course Equivalencies: | ESci 4401/ESci 8401 |
Typically offered: | Periodic Spring |
Credits: | 3.0 [max 3.0] |
Course Equivalencies: | ESci 4402/ESci 8402 |
Typically offered: | Spring Even Year |
Credits: | 3.0 [max 3.0] |
Typically offered: | Every Fall |
Credits: | 3.0 [max 3.0] |
Typically offered: | Periodic Fall |
Credits: | 3.0 [max 3.0] |
Typically offered: | Every Spring |
Credits: | 4.0 [max 4.0] |
Typically offered: | Every Fall |
Credits: | 4.0 [max 4.0] |
Typically offered: | Every Spring |
Credits: | 4.0 [max 4.0] |
Typically offered: | Fall Odd Year |
Credits: | 3.0 [max 3.0] |
Typically offered: | Every Spring |
Credits: | 4.0 [max 4.0] |
Grading Basis: | A-F or Aud |
Typically offered: | Every Summer |
Credits: | 3.0 [max 3.0] |
Course Equivalencies: | ESci 3002/ESci 5102 |
Typically offered: | Spring Even Year |
Credits: | 3.0 [max 3.0] |
Grading Basis: | A-F or Aud |
Typically offered: | Periodic Fall |
Credits: | 3.0 [max 3.0] |
Typically offered: | Periodic Spring |
Credits: | 3.0 [max 3.0] |
Typically offered: | Fall Odd Year |
Credits: | 3.0 [max 3.0] |
Grading Basis: | A-F or Aud |
Typically offered: | Every Fall |
Credits: | 3.0 [max 3.0] |
Course Equivalencies: | ESci 5353/MatS 5353 |
Typically offered: | Periodic Fall |
Credits: | 3.0 [max 3.0] |
Course Equivalencies: | ESci 3402/ESci 5402 |
Typically offered: | Spring Odd Year |
Credits: | 3.0 [max 3.0] |
Grading Basis: | OPT No Aud |
Typically offered: | Every Spring |
Credits: | 3.0 [max 3.0] |
Typically offered: | Fall Odd Year |
Credits: | 3.0 [max 3.0] |
Typically offered: | Periodic Fall |
Credits: | 3.0 [max 3.0] |
Typically offered: | Every Spring |
Credits: | 2.0 [max 2.0] |
Course Equivalencies: | ESci 4971W/ESci 5971 |
Typically offered: | Every Summer |
Credits: | 1.0 -4.0 [max 12.0] |
Grading Basis: | S-N or Aud |
Typically offered: | Periodic Fall & Spring |
Credits: | 3.0 [max 3.0] |
Course Equivalencies: | ESci 4203/ESci 8203 |
Typically offered: | Every Fall |
Credits: | 3.0 [max 3.0] |
Course Equivalencies: | ESci 4204/ESci 8204 |
Prerequisites: | 2201, Phys 1302, [Math 1272 or #] |
Typically offered: | Spring Even Year |
Credits: | 1.0 -3.0 [max 3.0] |
Typically offered: | Periodic Fall |
Credits: | 3.0 [max 3.0] |
Typically offered: | Periodic Fall |
Credits: | 3.0 [max 3.0] |
Typically offered: | Periodic Fall |
Credits: | 3.0 [max 3.0] |
Typically offered: | Periodic Fall |
Credits: | 3.0 [max 3.0] |
Course Equivalencies: | ESci 4401/ESci 8401 |
Typically offered: | Every Spring |
Credits: | 3.0 [max 3.0] |
Course Equivalencies: | ESci 4402/ESci 8402 |
Typically offered: | Spring Even Year |
Credits: | 4.0 [max 4.0] |
Course Equivalencies: | ESci 4501/ESci 8501 |
Typically offered: | Every Fall |
Credits: | 3.0 [max 3.0] |
Course Equivalencies: | ESci 4502/ESci 8502 |
Prerequisites: | 4501 or 8501 or # |
Typically offered: | Spring Odd Year |
Credits: | 3.0 [max 3.0] |
Course Equivalencies: | CE 8511/ESci 8511 |
Grading Basis: | A-F or Aud |
Typically offered: | Spring Even Year |
Credits: | 3.0 [max 3.0] |
Course Equivalencies: | CEGE 8601/EEB 8601/ESci 8601 |
Grading Basis: | A-F or Aud |
Typically offered: | Every Fall |
Credits: | 2.0 [max 2.0] |
Course Equivalencies: | CEGE 8602/EEB 8602/ESci 8602 |
Grading Basis: | S-N only |
Typically offered: | Every Summer |
Credits: | 4.0 [max 4.0] |
Course Equivalencies: | ESci 4701/ESci 8701 |
Typically offered: | Every Fall |
Credits: | 3.0 -4.0 [max 4.0] |
Typically offered: | Every Fall |
Credits: | 4.0 [max 4.0] |
Grading Basis: | A-F or Aud |
Typically offered: | Periodic Fall |
Credits: | 1.0 -4.0 [max 32.0] |
Typically offered: | Periodic Fall & Spring |